Your unofficial source for news and opinion on the Charlotte Bobcats http://www.queencityhoops.com Boxscore
Score: 102-87 Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats record: 32-31
Offensive Efficiency: 108.5
Defensive Efficiency: 93.5
Meritorious Player: Gerald Wallace 28pts (9-10FGs, 10-11 FTs) 4 rebs, 2 stls

This game wasn't as close as the final score and just like the Tv guys said even though Charlotte didn't lead from beginning to end it sure did feel like it. The Bobcats kept the Philadelphia "fans" silent and out of the game from the first quarter on.

It looks like the 76ers have called it a season because they clearly didn't want any part of this game and with the Bobcats playing so well this one got ugly quick. Charlotte built an 18 point lead in the first half and pushed it up to 28 in the 3rd quarter. This maybe the one game that gets Eddie Jordan fired as the boos started in the first half and continued through the second.

Yes Philly made a run and Larry Brown had some nervous moments when the lead shrunk to the teens but thanks to Charlotte forcing 21 turnovers, attacking the basket and going to the line 41 times this really wasn't in doubt.

Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson set the tone in the first quarter as they combined for 25 in the opening frame as Charlotte scored 37 points in the first 12 minutes. They both kept attacking and the Bobcats continued to force turnovers and bad shots.

Tyson Chandler continues to impress scoring 12 points and grabbing 5 rebounds but the most impressive thing about his 15 minutes of on the court time was the fact he didn't commit any turnovers. Tyrus Thomas also scored in double figures off the bench as did DJ Augustin.

The LA Clippers are up next and if Charlotte keeps playing this way it'll be five in a row after Friday.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap031010.php Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST Who: Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball - 76ers Home Game
When: 03/10/2010 at pm EST
Where: Live at the Wachovia Center in the City of Brotherly Love or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Philadelphia	23-40	104.3 (21)	108.1 (22)	92.9 (22)
Charlotte	31-31	103.2 (24)	101.7 (4)	91.2 (27)

Previous Meetings:
11/18/09 - 86-84 Philly- Recap - Boxscore

12/05/09 - 106-105 CLT - Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Philadelphia: Marreese Speights - Day to day
Charlotte: Nazr Mohammed - Out?


Starting Lineups

	76ers	Bobcats
PG	Jrue Holiday	Raymond Felton
SG	Lou Williams	Stephen Jackson
SF	Andre Iguodala	Gerald Wallace
PF	Elton Brand	Boris Diaw
C	Samuel Dalembert	Theo Ratliff

Both teams played last night - only one team is in the playoff race. The Bobcats need to play like it tonight, because this is the kind of game they need to win, but it feels like they miss out on (no stats to back it up, just thinking back to some of the late season losses last year). Philadelphia does a decent job of forcing turnovers and holding on to the ball themselves - the types of things that are kryptonite to the Cats. If Charlotte gets sloppy with the ball, the 76ers have the athletes to make them pay, with Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, and Lou Williams. Just like yesterday, this is not a must-win for the Bobcats - but they are all good to wins.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview031010.php Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST Boxscore
Score: 83-78 Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats record: 31-31
Offensive Efficiency: 93.3
Defensive Efficiency: 85.7
Meritorious Player: Raymond Felton - a big 3 late that gave the Bobcats the lead for the first time since the opening minutes capped off Raymond's solid night. Ray finished with 15 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds, and just 3 turnovers (yes, just - this was a defensive battle and there were plenty of opportunities for Ray to have lost the ball as the Heat showed hard when he would come off a screen). 4 Bobcats players took more than 10 field goal attempts - Felton was the only one of them to score better than a point per attempt. Tonight, that was enough.

Why was it enough? The cliched title tells it all - the Bobcats slowed the Heat's offense to a crawl in the second half, allowing just 30 points after the break, with 18 in the 3rd and just 12 in the final frame. The jump-shots that were falling early started bouncing off and the Cats held the Heat to just 7 offensive rebounds, while grabbing 36 defensive caroms. For anyone who loves to watch a defensive struggle, this was your game. Had it not been for Jermaine O'Neal's trip to the Fountain of Youth (19 points on 7 of 11 shooting and 3 blocks), the Heat would have proved as inept as the two team's last meeting (when the Heat scored just 65 points). As it was, Jermaine just delayed the inevitable - the Bobcats started slow, with a bit too many careless passes (and illegal screens - there were 7 offensive fouls between the two teams) but the ball movement improved late and a couple of timely fastbreaks sealed it.

Speaking of fastbreaks - D.J. Augustin ran a couple by himself tonight and impressed with his ability to create points - if he did not finish at the rim, he seemed to draw a whistle. He put up 8 straight points for the Cats in the 4th to take it from a 72-63 game to a 72-71 margin. D.J. played just 13 minutes on the night, and only had 2 points outside of that solo-run, but it was a bit more of the player we had expected to see coming into the year, and a seeming continuation of his recent solid play. As tough as Raymond is, he has to sit sometimes and D.J. is making that a little less un-nerving of late.

I mentioned above, but I'll fill in the details here: The Cats did not shoot well. Stephen Jackson went 6 of 17 for 17. Gerald Wallace shot 3 of 11 for just 8 points. Boris Diaw had 11 on 4 of 11. But they all contributed in other ways. Crash had 17 rebounds. Diaw followed up his near triple-double against the Warriors with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks tonight. Stephen Jackson? He only helped hold Dwayne Wade to 27 points and 4 turnovers on 11 of 26 shooting. Oh, and just assists for Wade, following a week where he won Eastern Conference Player of the Week while averaging 33 and 12 assists. So, Jax had a bit of a role in the W - once you look past the offensive contributions.

As of my writing this, the Bobcats are currently in a 3-way tie with Chicago and Miami for the 7th spot in the East...but, Chicago is trailing Utah by 8 in the 4th and the Cats own the tie-breaker on the Heat now. So, no matter what happens in Chicago tonight, the Cats will be no worse than 8th in the morning, and could be sitting at the 7th spot with 20 games to go in the season. That'll do.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap030910.php Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Miami Heat
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 03/09/10 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on Fox Sports Carolinas

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	30-31	103.4 (24)	102.0 (5)	91.3 (27)
Miami	32-31	105.1 (19)	103.9 (11)	91.1 (28)

Previous Meetings:
01/02/10 - 107-97 Charlotte- Recap - Boxscore

01/20/10 - 104-65 CLT - Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Charlotte: Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop - Game Time Decisions
Miami: Rafer Alston - Suspended by team


Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Heat
PG	Raymond Felton	Carlos Arroyo
SG	Stephen Jackson	Dwyane Wade
SF	Gerald Wallace	Quentin Richardson
PF	Boris Diaw	Michael Beasley
C	Theo Ratliff	Jermaine O'Neal

Don't believe Rick Bonnell: Bobcats playoff prospects could hinge on win over Miami - tonight's game against Miami is important - they all are. But if the Bobcats lose, they do not need to start tanking to save their lottery pick. A loss tonight would leave them at worst 3.5 games out of 5th in the Eastern conference, chasing other team's with their own identifiable weaknesses. The Bobcats have 5 games after tonight against those 4 teams, and a chance of at least splitting the season series against them all - only the Bucks cannot be passed for the season series win, with a 2-1 edge already. That hardly seems the stuff of gloom and doom to me. Yes, go Bobcats tonight - knock off a team I have never cared for since the days of the Hornets. But, do not mourn the season if the game ends with an L - there is still a lot of meaningful basketball to be played.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview030910.php Tue, 9 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST Boxscore
Score: 101-90 Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats record: 30-31
Offensive Efficiency: 106.3
Defensive Efficiency: 96.3
Meritorious Player: Boris Diaw (did I give it away with the title?) - 14 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and just 1 turnover. Boris just destroyed Golden State with his interior passing, creating 3 layups/dunks for his teammates against the Warriors zone. A couple of more posts moves mixed in would have been...you know what, I am not even going to say that. Diaw played a tremendous game tonight and helped the Bobcats pull this one out.

Pull this one out? The Bobcats won by 11, you might say. Charlotte did win by 11 - but they trailed until late in the 3rd - never by much, but they did not run away with the victory. You may not believe the cause of consternation: Turnovers. Shocking, I know, but the Bobcats had 20 of them, including some passes to customers that just never had a chance of getting to a person who actually got paid to wear a jersey. Stephen Jackson led the charge with 5 turnovers, and D.J. Augustin and Gerald Wallace followed him with 3 apiece. I chose the word charge intentionally: The Bobcats were called for 4 offensive fouls, 2 of which Gerald accumulated in the first quarter, ending his 1st half action (his 2nd half ended early as well, for different reasons). Some parts aggression, some parts careless, the Bobcats helped the Warriors stick around, but when it got down to it, they were not going to lose.

Good example: With under 4 left, and the Bobcats ahead by 9, Chris Hunter takes advantage of a Bobcats double team on a pick and roll and gets open underneath - until Gerald Wallace pinned his dunk attempt to the backboard. Hunter did gather the rebound and drew a foul call on his follow attempt on Gerald (dubious call, replay looked clean) - but it was a "ball don't lie" moment - Hunter misses both free throws and the Bobcats rebound the miss. One of their 60 rebounds on the night - to 36 for the Warriors. Aside from Boris' big night on the glass, Gerald got his double-double with 10 rebounds to accompany his 18 second half points (18 total) (oh, and 5 blocks in his 31 minutes) and 4 other Bobcats had at least 5: Raymond Felton - 7, Stephen Jackson - 6, Theo Ratliff and Tyrus Thomas - 5. The Bobcats had the size advantage for once and they took advantage.

Final notes: Like I mentioned previously, Gerald's night ended early. He threw an elbow at one of the Warriors (Tolliver maybe - tough to tell and they were not showing replays in the Arena). The refs determined it was above the shoulders and sent Crash packing. It was unusual to see Gerald lose his cool, so I am going to look for a replay to see what may have caused him to get so upset. Considering it came on the night the Bobcats gave away Gerald Wallace arm sleeves to fans, it was not a great night to have it happen (not that there ever is, but poor timing). The other thing: Davidson fans and their favorite son, Stephen Curry. There were a lot of them and they were very loud in supporting him. But, they seemed more interested in partying in the stands than actually watching the game - it generally took the announcer mentioning Curry's name to draw a cheer, rather than them reacting to plays as they happened. It added a bit more energy than normal to the audience - but it was a kind of strange vibe to have a group that was more or less indifferent to the game and only there to cheer for the actions of a single player. Oh, wait, Kobe was in town last night as well and Dwayne Wade is next - that is going to become the norm.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap030610.php Sat, 6 Mar 2010 23:30:00 EST Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Golden State Warriors
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 03/06/2010 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	29-31	103.3 (24)	102.1 (5)	91.2 (27)
Golden State	17-43	105.4 (16)	108.9 (26)	101.6 (1)

Previous Meetings:
01/29/10 - 121-110 CLT- Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Charlotte: Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop - Varying degrees of unlikely
Golden State: Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Raja Bell - OUT?


Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Warriors
PG	Raymond Felton	Stephen Curry
SG	Stephen Jackson	C.J. Watson
SF	Gerald Wallace	Anthony Morrow
PF	Boris Diaw	Anthony Tolliver
C	Nazr Mohammed	Ronny Turiaf

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview030610.php Sat, 6 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST Boxscore
Score: 98-83 Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats record: 29-31
Offensive Efficiency: 104.3
Defensive Efficiency: 88.3
Meritorious Player:Tyrus Thomas 14pts (7-12FGs) 9 rebs, 2 blk

Talk about a world of difference from Wednesday to Friday, Charlotte forced 20 turnovers, outscored the Lakers bench 40 to 27 and ran them out the building. None of this seemed possible before tonight though as the Bobcats looked as lifeless and uninspired as they've been this season against Boston.

After that game Larry Brown said he thought the team would respond with one of their better games and he was right, from the second quarter on Charlotte looked like a better team than the Lakers. Tyson Chandler played for the first time in a month and for just the fourth time since late December. Despite giving up a three point play on his first play to Andrew Bynum he quickly blocked a shot and then scored off a pick and roll. He also helped frustrate Pau Gasol into a 5-14 night with his length and activity.

But the biggest game changer was Tyrus Thomas whose shot-blocking helped start a few of those fastbreaks where Charlotte outscored LA 22 to 13. He also grabbed some huge rebounds late and made some timely jumpers to ice the game. He's coming along nicely and while he still has room for growth I hope the team is prudent with whatever contract they offer in the offseason, because if he doesn't grow and mature a little more he still could be a bad contract in two years.

Bryant was held mostly in check and the player that Charlotte seemed to have the most trouble defending, Andrew Bynum, only played 24 minutes. Bynum went to the free throw line 11 times in just 24 minutes and had 7 of the Lakers 15 offensive rebounds, finishing with 14 points and 10 boards.

Both coaches made me almost fall out of my chair uncorking Adam Morrison and Gerald Henderson while the game was still undecided. I'll leave the championing of Henderson's cause to another Bobcats site but when a rookie produces 6 points, 2 rebounds a steal and a block in just 12 minutes I think it's a sign he needs to play more. As for Ammo it seemed like old times again, he got in the game and passed up shots while not contributing anything else, I hope he's learning a foreign language in his downtime.

Back-to-back home games are rare and there's a chance that Saturday could be a sellout as well with Stephen Curry coming to town. Charlotte has to take advantage of the schedule to make up some ground in the playoff chase and hopefully win a few fans to boot.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap030510.php Sat, 6 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Los Angeles Lakers
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 03/05/2010 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	28-31	103.3 (24)	102.3 (6)	91.2 (27)
Los Angeles Lakers	46-16	108.0 (10)	101.3 (2)	94.5 (9)

Previous Meetings:
02/03/10 - 99-97 LAL - Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Charlotte: Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop - Some more questionable than others
Los Angeles Lakers: None


Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Lakers
PG	Raymond Felton	Derek Fisher
SG	Stephen Jackson	Kobe Bryant
SF	Gerald Wallace	Ron Artest
PF	Boris Diaw	Pau Gasol
C	Theo Ratliff	Andrew Bynum

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview030510.php Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST Boxscore
Score: 104-80 Boston
Charlotte Bobcats record: 28-31
Offensive Efficiency: 87.0
Defensive Efficiency: 113.0
Meritorious Player: Tyrus Thomas with the double-double, 15 points and 12 rebounds, plus 2 blocks and a steal in the blowout.

Good news: Larry Brown gave Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson a few extra minutes of rest last night, as they played just 31 and 33 minutes respectively. Foul "trouble" may have forced Larry's hand a bit, as Jax picked up 2 early and Crash finished with 5 - but at least they did not have to pull all-nighters. That gave the young guys a chance to see extended minutes, as Gerald Henderson and Derrick Brown both saw 10+ minutes. Henderson, with confidence obviously boosted from beating Michael Jordan in horse, put up a solid 5 points and 4 rebounds in his short night of work, a solid line.

Trying to come up with a second paragraph that manages to be as passively-aggressive and pseudo-positive and I am struggling. Last night was disappointing. 3 games against the Celtics this season, 3 blowouts - if the Bobcats do make the playoffs, let us hope that they do not draw this team. I may have said this before, but having a center would help - last night, after Jax got in early foul trouble, the game was over - sure the Bobcats got close, but when Jackson came back for action in the 3rd, he was out of his rhythm and Boston crushed in that frame. A post threat who can be counted on for some offense would help take some pressure off the rest of the squad when Jackson is not out there to force the issue.

Last note: Getting outscored by 30 from the 3-point line is a tough thing to overcome - the Celtics went 10 of 16, Charlotte 0-9. There have been 78 games this season where a team made at least 8 more 3s than their opponent - the team making the 3s is 62-16 in those games. There have been just 2 wins by teams making 0 threes while their opponent made 8 or more. Like I said - long odds. Ok - next.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap030310.php Thu, 4 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST Stephen Jackson is averaging 40.7 minutes per game as a Bobcat. Gerald Wallace is leading the league at 42.4 minutes of burn a night. Two other Bobcats have more than 4 games of at least 40 minutes: Boris Diaw at 16 and Raymond Felton at 5. That is a problem, right? It is common knowledge (assumed truth would be more accurate) that playing heavy minutes reduces a player's effectiveness. The reason the Bobcats have been losing lately is because Crash and Jax are wearing down from the heavy burden of carrying the team night after night - or is it?

I am not arguing that player's do not have limits - but have they crossed that threshold already, with more than a quarter of the season remaining? Yes, the Bobcats starters are called on to play a lot of minutes - but they do a bit less running than some, due to the Bobcats slow pace. 7 players are within 100 minutes (total minutes) of Gerald on the year, where he leads the league at 2375 minutes played. But he is only 4th in possessions on the court - Kevin Durant leads with 4637, while Gerald is at 4499 - and there are 10 players over the 4400 mark. Yes, Stephen Jackson shows up in both of those lists as well - but it is not like the two JordanCats are alone.

So, here are a couple of tables to chew on. The first shows the efficiencies by month of the Bobcats primary 4 (efficiency being points per fga+.4*fta+turnovers - crude but effective). The second shows their efficiency for the season, then the number for nights they played 40+ minutes and then in the game following a lot of run.


Two of the 4 continue to put up better than season average efficiency numbers in February and the other two were within a reasonable number (if you throw out Raymond's potentially fluky December, he would be a third). And then the really interesting part: All 4 were more efficient than their season average in the games where they played heavy minutes. Even better: Only Raymond came up short in the next outing, with Boris Diaw putting up surprisingly strong numbers when playing in his next game following a 40+ minute night.

It is interesting - but not conclusive. Do not take it mean that I think the Bobcats are not doing themselves a disservice by playing this core such heavy minutes. They are - the guys will wear down as the season progresses (I get to see it year after year with Duke basketball - watching J.J. Redick in the NCAA tourney a couple years back hit more iron than a blacksmith being a particularly memorable example) and puts them at increased risk of injury - but the numbers do not indicate that is happening just yet. The other disservice is the lack of playing time for the young guys - Derrick Brown, D.J. Augustin, and Gerald Henderson. The next few weeks will tell us if this current rough patch is an aberration or the beginning of collapse spurred by over-exertion.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/MoMinutesMoTrouble.php Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST Who: Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Bobcats
What: NBA Basketball - Celtics Home Game
When: 03/03/2010 at 7:30pm EST
Where: Live at TD Garden in Boston or on FoxSports Carolinas

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Boston	37-21	106.2 (13)	101.4 (2)	92.4 (24)
Charlotte	28-30	103.6 (23)	102.1 (4)	91.1 (27)

Previous Meetings:
10/28/09 - 92-59 BOS- Recap - Boxscore

12/01/09 - 108-90 BOS- Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Boston: None
Charlotte: Nazr Mohammed, Tyson Chandler and DeSagana Diop - Still not playing (Nazr being the most likely to buck the trend)


Starting Lineups

	Celtics	Bobcats
PG	Rajon Rondo	Raymond Felton
SG	Ray Allen	Stephen Jackson
SF	Paul Pierce	Gerald Wallace
PF	Kevin Garnett	Boris Diaw
C	Kendrick Perkins	Theo Ratliff

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview030310.php Wed, 3 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST Sebastian at NBA Playbook does it again. Go check out Inside The Run: Dallas Pulls Away From Charlotte for how the Mavericks were able to streak to a win/how the Bobcats stuck to the ball for a loss. It will make sense once you check it out. Which I strongly encourage - seriously, this is very cool stuff even if it was from a loss.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/NBAPlaybook030110.php Tue, 2 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST Boxscore
Score: 89-84 Dallas
Charlotte Bobcats record: 28-30
Offensive Efficiency: 91.3
Defensive Efficiency: 96.7
Meritorious Player: Not tonight - this was a team effort of a meltdown in the second half.

31 points scored in the second half, 15 in the 3rd, 16 in the 4th. 4 straight turnovers to kick off the 4th quarter and 6 in the quarter overall. That is a good way to blow a 10 point half time lead - and the Bobcats did it. The turnovers came about in large part due to the passivity of Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton - both were passing up open looks to drive and kick to...well, the backcourt and out of bounds on occasion anyway. But who can blame them, really, when they combined for 3 airballs in the 4th quarter - one of which from Boris did not even touch net.

The defense was there - for the most part. D.J. Augustin struggled to guard Jason Terry during his D.J.'s 2nd half cameo but aside from that, the defense was good enough to get a win. The Bobcats finished with 7 steals and 7 blocks and held Dirk to 27 on 23 attempts (yes, that really is an off night for him).

Good news: Of the Bobcats remaining 24 games, just 5 are against the top 4 teams from each conference - Atlanta twice, the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Magic remain. The bad news: The Celtics and Lakers are the next two opponents for the Bobcats, so their record may decline a bit more but after that, they have a very favorable schedule for the stretch run. If they could just get one more center back (come on, Nazr - we need your offense), combined with that schedule, I will start to feel kind of optimistic about their chances.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GameRecap030110.php Tue, 2 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST Who: Charlotte Bobcats vs Dallas Mavericks
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 03/01/2010 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on FoxSports Carolinas

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	28-29	103.8 (23)	102.2 (4)	91.1 (27)
Dallas	38-21	107.1 (12)	104.9 (12)	93.3 (18)

Previous Meetings:
12/12/09 - 98-97 Dallas - Recap - Boxscore

Injuries:
Charlotte: Nazr Mohammed - GTD; Tyson Chandler and DeSagana Diop - OUT
Dallas: Erick Dampier - OUT


Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Mavericks
PG	Raymond Felton	Jason Kidd
SG	Stephen Jackson	Caron Butler
SF	Gerald Wallace	Shawn Marion
PF	Boris Diaw	Dirk Nowitzki
C	Nazr Mohammed	Brendan Haywood

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/GamePreview030110.php Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST Any chance we get a name change out of this? I still think the Charlotte Flight would be pretty cool. But that's not important right now, but this is: The Bobcats have a new owner and his name is Robert Paulson Michael Jordan. I do not know who officially broke the story, so I will link to Bonnell: Michael Jordan buys the Charlotte Bobcats. Scroll down to the comments and you see that Jordan still has a lot going against - namely the large percentage of the population who were against public funds being used for the new uptown arena (and then some who seem to have an issue with an African-American owner). Can Jordan win those people over, people who maintained their frustration for going on 8 years? Maybe, maybe not - but he would be hard-pressed to do worse than Bob Johnson. Consider the personal interaction story presented over at Bobcats Baseline: Charlotte Bobcats MJ Basketball Holdings, LLC - scroll down to "The Ballad of Bob and Jerry". Describing Johnson as borderline autistic, one of the biggest Bobcats fans on the internets, ASChin, did not let the encounter sour him on the Cats - but some people would. Jordan needs to be the charismatic center of attention for the franchise and win some fans back to his side. Currently, his position as "Important person who does stuff with basketball decisions" (or something like that) is kind of a running joke for Bill Simmons and other writers, who like to point out how infrequently MJ actually seems to be in Charlotte actually working. Changing that perception would be a good first step (or making light of it may work, depending on the level of self-deprecating humor you are willing to accept from the G.O.A.T).

With that said, I am excited - the Bobcats needed a fresh start. Just 6 years in, yes, but the fact remains that it has been a bumpy 6 years - tacked on to an acrimonious breakup with the former darlings the Hornets. Now, to celebrate the ownership change, the team just needs to battle its way into the playoffs and get the new administration off to a good start.

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]]> http://www.queencityhoops.com/JordanCats.php Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST